Sunday, February 26, 2017

Rossini Discoveries in Philly

Rossini’s Tancredi

Opera Philadelphia

February 19, 2017

A man goes down in this Rossini innovationPhoto credit: Opera Philadelphia

We can never get enough bel canto, so
when we heard that Opera Philadelphia was staging the rare Rossini opera seria Tancredi
with an intriguing cast, we seized the opportunity and made a Philly weekend
getaway out of it. When it comes to satisfying high quality opera tourism near
New York City, it turns out that Philadelphia is an excellent destination. It’s
a highly walkable city with great museum (Barnes Foundation!), a robust food
and drink scene and a well-balanced, quality opera program. The 2016/2017
season at Opera Philadelphia includes two contemporary works (Mazzoli’s Breaking
the Waves and a modern adaptation of Verdi’s Macbeth – same libretto
but new music by Fabrizio Cassol), two classics (Turandot and Nozze)
and the revival of a forgotten Rossini gem, Tancredi.

The Academy of MusicPhoto credit: Geoffrey Goldberg

In a burst of nerdiness, we got to the
Academy of Music one hour before the show, to catch an introductory talk, that
also gave us ample time to take in the stunning theater. Relatively small and
beautifully decorated, it felt like stepping back in time and being swept to a
historic European opera house. Interestingly, the 1857 theater is claimed to be
the oldest venue in the U.S. still used for its original purpose. Opera
Philadelphia seems to be doing a good job of luring crowds that are beyond the
usual octogenarian upper crust opera public. We are glad to report that the
Sunday matinee we attended had a very diverse set of patrons of all ages and
from all sorts of backgrounds. A lot of families with teenage kids, too – gotta
start them young!

Miscommunication belies the plotPhoto credit: Kelly & Massa

Now, about Tancredi. First things
first, a summary of the little known plot that isn’t exactly the tightest.
(Though to be fair it isn’t that crazy). Amenaide, a Siracusan Juliet-type,
sends a letter to her exiled love interest, Tancredi (who is traveling and
never receives the letter). Meantime Amenaide’s father makes peace with the
opposing family in town and betroths her to his previous enemy in an act of
good faith. She is reluctant to go along with the feudal arrangement, when the
letter that never arrived is intercepted near the external enemy’s camp and is
taken as proof of her treachery against her fatherland and family. Even
Tancredi (who suddenly pops up in Siracusa) takes it as such. Amenaide is
sentenced to death for treason (by decree of her own torn father!). However
Tancredi won’t abide by the sentence. He steps up to challenge her accuser and
betrothed in a duel to defend her honor. But getting her off the hook isn’t
enough to satisfy the stubborn and fearless Tancredi.

After defeating the evil internal villain,
Orbazzano, Tancredi takes his fight to the external enemy, the unseen Muslim
invader Solamir. Amenaide is desperate to express her gratitude and explain the
whole mix up of the mislaid letter but Tancredi won’t hear it. He’s on a
mission to win glory against the Saracens. And although (at least in this
version) he is mortally wounded in the skirmish, he nevertheless emerges the
victor. As the savior of the day, he dies triumphantly in his beloved’s arms
and the opera comes to an abrupt dramatic end with the quiet expiration of its
eponymous hero.

The action has been transposed to the early 20th CenturyPhoto credit: Kelly & Massa

A co-production of the Opera de Lausanne and
the Teatro Municipal de Santiago, in the vision of Spanish director Emilio
Sagi, the action has been transposed from the Middle Ages to the post-WWI
era in Europe. Costumes are all flashy military coats and flowy early twentieth-century
gowns, sets are dominated by a grandiose palace, all marble and mirrors with
the occasional art-deco flourish, all very handsome.

From the first notes of the overture, the
orchestra, under the baton of Corrado Rovaris, sounded tight and well
versed in Rossini’s fiery melodies that are always such a pleasure to hear,
notwithstanding the deja vu sensation at inevitably accompanies the
experience (given how much the composer recycled bits of his works,
particularly the overtures).

Just as I was thinking in the opening
movements of the opera that the sets looked great and that the supporting cast
seemed solid, mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe made her entrance as the
hero Tancredi and everything changed. She effortlessly elevated everything to a
whole other level. Her instrument is fluid, effortless and deeply melodic,
particularly in the lower range that borders on a contralto sound at times.
While Rossini has lots of mezzos in its operas, it’s pretty rare to see them in
pants roles, let alone as leading heroes. Blythe’s tessitura is impressive in
terms of power, color and agility. Her expressivity, too, was utterly moving.
Time stopped every time she opened her mouth, embodying the wronged noble
loving Tancredi with truly heroic tones. And could she ever fill the space with
her voice. It was stunning.

When the leading singer is so strong,
everybody else in the cast gets dwarfed a bit, no matter how good they are.
Tenor Michele Angelini in the role of Amenaide’s father Argirio, sounded
technically accurate with a handsome enough sound, however he never let his
vocal line really soar in the upper range and often came off as a bit
restrained, which is a pity as the beauty and excitement of bel canto
tenors lies also in those high explosions of emotions.

Soprano Brenda Rae as the heroine
Amenaide had some excellent moments, particularly when interacting in duets
with other characters, however she seemed to have a bit of a hard time with some
of the higher notes in her solo showstopping arias. Bass-baritone Daniel
Mobbs as the villain Orbazzano was a great grounding force, particularly in
the ensemble pieces, and took perhaps a bit too much pleasure in uttering an
evil laugh each time he walked off stage. Mezzo Allegra De Vita displayed
expressive agility as Amenaide’s friend Isaura.

All in all, Tancredi was a thoroughly
enjoyable bel canto opera. Perhaps not the most compelling plot (all
dramatic tension would dissipate if only Amenaide would have just told Tancredi
about the letter he never got) but it was definitely a great pleasure to hear,
with several exciting vocal moments. Through the introductory talk, we
discovered one important bit of opera history: who knew that this was the first
opera to end not with a summation finale with the sextet and chorus, all out on
the stage commenting on the action, but rather with a slow fade into death with
its abrupt dramatic resolution? What a discovery. I had recently been
reflecting on this shift in taste. Rusalka, Manon Lescaut, La
Bohéme among other gems in our recent outings all end in this fashion,
whereas L’italiana, Don Giovanni, the list could go on and on,
all close with a choral metanarrative moment. When did it all change? Turns out
it was Rossini’s Tancredi when the composer was only 21. Who knew?!

- Lei & Lui

The climactic death after which opera would never be the samePhoto credit: Kelly & Massa